Modular floating dock with inflatable pontoons

ABSTRACT

A modular buoyant support apparatus is comprised of buoyant support modules of inflatable pontoons. The pontoons comprise inflatable tubular chambers, typically fabricated of polymer coated fabric sheet material. A buoyant support module comprises a rigid frame connected to an inflatable pontoon. A means is provided to interconnect buoyant support modules to form a modular buoyant support apparatus of varied support area and configuration. Means are provided to attach an appropriately configured dock surface to the modular buoyant support apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under Title 35, United States Code,Section 119(a) of U.S. application Ser. No. 60/660,287, filed Mar. 10,2005, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.10/890,882, filed Apr. 13, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 10/816,992, filed Apr. 2, 2004, which is acontinuation of PCT Application No. PCT/US01/46253, filed Oct. 23, 2001,which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/316,928,filed May 21, 1999, and claims priority from U.S. provisionalapplication No. 60/086,428, filed May 22, 1998, entitled LOW PROFILELIFT FOR WATERCRAFT.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to buoyant platforms which have provisions forberthing of boats thereto or thereon, as floating docks, and morespecifically to improvements thereon as modular structures.

2. Description of the Related Art

Among the many methods known and used for berthing of boats, floatingdocks are known to have particular advantages. Secured or anchored insome fashion, such docks can provide mooring for boats in areas whichwere formerly open water. Floating upon the body of water, such docksprovide convenient mooring at a constant level above the surface, incontrast with fixed docks whose use may at times be rendered difficultor impractical due to varying seasonal depth of the body of water.Floating docks can provide mooring in bodies of water in which securinga fixed dock is difficult, as in deep muddy or sandy bottoms. Further,floating docks may serve many purposes other than mooring boats, such asserving as floating platforms for the convenience of swimmers, forexample. Yet further, because they are not rigidly fixed in place,floating docks may be constructed in a modular manner that allows foreasy adjustment of the dock surface area and configuration, often in theform of interconnecting rectangular modules, for example as described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,941,660 to Rueckert. Because of these many advantages,floating docks are widely used in conjunction with boating and otheraquatic activities. However, floating dock technology has heretoforesuffered from a number of shortcomings as well.

First, because a commensurate volume of water must be displaced for thedock to float, the required dimensions for floating dock pontoonspresent significant manufacturing costs if rigid pontoons are employed.To provide even a minimal amount of buoyancy such as 1000 pounds, thepontoons must displace approximately 125 gallons of water, oftenrequiring expensive tooling to produce rigid pontoons of such size. Forexample, the GalvaFoam Steel Floating Dock of ShoreMaster Corporation ofFergus Falls, Minn. employs high density polyethylene pontoons toprovide buoyancy. Similarly, Rueckert's dock cited above providesbuoyancy by large polyethylene articles that are created in a rotatingmold, at considerable cost. Even if floating dock pontoons aremanufactured sectionally as float drums, as described in U.S. Pat. No.4,974,538 to Meriweather, manufacturing rigid pontoons of such largedisplacement entails considerable difficulty and cost.

Second, shipment of large rigid pontoons to the site where the floatingdock is to be assembled and deployed entails additional difficulty andcost. Even when the pontoons themselves may not be costly, such as thesteel tanks employed in the dock described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,453 toSloan et al., their size of necessity results in significant shippingcosts.

Third, assembly and disassembly of a floating dock, whether forinstallation, maintenance or relocation, is more complicated when largerigid pontoons are involved, because of the difficulty in maneuveringpontoons of larger dimensions.

Floating docks have been described which do not employ large rigidpontoons. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,820 to Klaus, for example, inflatablerings are used to provide buoyancy. By providing buoyancy withinflatable articles, such floating docks overcome some of thelimitations of the art employing rigid pontoons. However, heretoforedocks with inflatable pontoons have not provided the flexibility ofconfiguration found in prior art modular floating docks.

What is needed is a floating dock that offers the advantage of simplemodular configuration but that does not have the disadvantagesassociated with large rigid pontoons.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention improves upon prior art floating docks byproviding a modular buoyant support apparatus comprised of buoyantsupport modules of inflatable pontoons. The pontoons comprise inflatabletubular chambers, typically fabricated of polymer coated fabric sheetmaterial. A buoyant support module comprises a rigid frame connected toan inflatable pontoon. In some embodiments, the pontoon is removablyconnected to the frame, facilitating ease of installation, service andreplacement. Buoyant support modules may be interconnected to form amodular buoyant support apparatus of varied support area andconfiguration. The modular buoyant support apparatus attaches underneathan appropriately configured dock surface via attachment means.Advantageously, the pontoons may be shipped deflated to the location forthe dock and, in situ, both inflated for deployment and deflated formaintenance or relocation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing objects, as well as further objects, advantages, featuresand characteristics of the present invention, in addition to methods ofoperation, function of related elements of structure, and thecombination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become apparentupon consideration of the following description and claims withreference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of thisspecification, wherein like reference numerals designate correspondingparts in the various figures, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an overhead view of an inflatable pontoon module according tothe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view along the main axis of an inflatablepontoon module according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an overhead view of a support module with floatable framebuoyed by an inflatable pontoon, according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a group of support modules assembled to form abuoyant support apparatus; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of a modular floating dock according to thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, illustrated is an inflatable pontoon moduleaccording to the present invention. Pontoon 102 comprises a tube ofpolymer coated fabric material, with closed ends of the same or similarmaterial, made airtight. Pontoon 102 is further fitted with valve 103for inflation and deflation in the manner of inflatable rafts ofrubberized fabric, well known to those in the art. In preferredembodiments, pontoon 102 comprises a plurality of chambered sections, sothat in the event of a rupture, the pontoon will still retain partialbuoyancy.

Affixed to pontoon 102 are a number of annular components 104, arrangedin groups to form lines along the surface of pontoon 102 parallel to themain axis of the pontoon, as will be described in greater detail in thefollowing passages in reference to the other figures in thisspecification.

Annular components 104 are comprised of a relatively rigid and durablematerial, such as metal or plastic, suitable for prolonged use in amarine environment. Components 104 are firmly secured to pontoon 102 bygluing with additional securing, by any number of means well known tothose of skill in the art of fabrication of inflatable rubberizedfabric, such as those set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,088 to Garnier etal.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side elevational view of the pontoon 202, showingthe arrangement of three lines of annular components 204 parallel to themain axis of the pontoon at 0, 90 and 180 degrees. One line of annularcomponents 204 a runs along the top of the pontoon, while a line ofannular components 204 b runs along each side of the pontoon. Components204 are so fashioned as to slideably receive tubular components enablingthe assembly of a modular buoyant support frame, as illustrated in FIG.3.

FIG. 3 illustrates a buoyant support frame module in accordance with thepresent invention. Frame 302 comprises interlocking tubular componentsslideably fitted through annular components 304. Interlocking tubularcomponents of frame 302 comprise lower side tubes 306, joined by “U”sections 308 to form a horizontal rectangle held about the pontoon inthe plane of its main axis along its midline. Interlocking tubularcomponents of frame 302 further comprise upper tube 310 to which isfitted “T” bracket 312, upon which is disposed a vertical bolt 314extending upward for engaging a dock platform, as will be discussedlater in reference to FIG. 5. Tubular components 306, 308, 310 and 312may interlock in various manners, such as by telescoping mating with aretractable pin/receptacle arrangement and other ways well known tothose in the art. As will be discussed in reference to FIG. 4, adjacentbuoyant support frame modules may be interconnected via tubularcomponents to form a modular buoyant support frame for the dock.

FIG. 4 illustrates a modular buoyant support frame comprised of eightpontoons of somewhat squatter proportions than those illustrated inearlier drawings. Persons of skill in the art will recognize that thepresent invention relates to inflatable pontoon modules of a widevariety of proportions and is not limited to pontoons of any particularsize or shape. As illustrated, modular buoyant support frame 402comprises an upper frame 406 and a lower frame 408. Lower side tubesalong each buoyant support module are connected by tubular connectors412, while the upper tube of each buoyant support module interconnectswith the upper tube of an adjacent buoyant support module by tubularconnector 410, which may be discrete pieces of tubular connectors or inthe alternative may comprise a single tubular component slideablythreaded through the “T” connectors on the ends of the upper tubes ofthe buoyant support modules.

While particular embodiments of buoyant support frame modules andparticular means of interconnecting such modules to form an embodimentof a modular buoyant support frame have been illustrated, it will beclear to those of skill in the art that the present inventionencompasses a broad range of embodiments. For the present invention,required is an inflatable pontoon affixed to components to form abuoyant support frame module, so fashioned as to permit interconnectionof a group of such modules to form a modular buoyant support frame.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, modules may beinterconnected by way of bolted telescoping tubes. As will be clear tothose in the art, many other means of interconnecting buoyant supportframe modules are available within the scope of the present invention,including, for example, interconnecting plates, releasable mechanismssuch as hook-and-latch and ball-and-hitch, engaging male and femalethreaded or otherwise interlocking members, and the like can serve asinterconnecting means.

FIG. 5 illustrates the dock itself, which is simply a substantiallyplanar dock platform affixed to the modular buoyant support frame. Asillustrated, dock platform 502 is affixed to buoyant support frame 504by bolts 506 which extend upward from the “T” connectors on the ends ofthe upper tubes of the buoyant support modules. Cooperating holes arebored through dock platform 502 to receive bolts 506, which are thensecured to platform 502 by nuts with washers or the like.

Platform 502 may be constructed of various materials, but shouldpreferably be relatively lightweight, rigid, and durable in a marineenvironment. Suitable materials include treated wood, fabricated sheetaluminum and durable plastic resin polymeric materials. While bolts areillustrated for affixing the dock platform to the modular buoyantsupport frame, as is clear to those of skill in the art, many othermethods of affixing the dock are compatible with the present invention.For example, platform 502 may employ specially adapted clamps to clamponto portions of frame 504. In the alternative, hooks or lashing maysecure platform 502 to frame 504. Portions of frame 504 may even beintegral to platform 502. As will be appreciated by those of skill inthe art, the material comprising the dock platform and the means ofaffixing the platform to the modular buoyant support frame may varywidely and yet remain in keeping with the spirit of the presentinvention.

Although the detailed descriptions above contain many specifics, theseshould not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but asmerely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferredembodiments of this invention. Various other embodiments andramifications are possible within its scope, a number of which arediscussed in general terms above.

While the invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it should be recognized that elements thereof may bealtered by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein, but onthe contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modificationsand equivalents as can be reasonably included within the scope of theinvention. The invention is limited only by the following claims andtheir equivalents.

1. A modular floating dock, comprising: a modular buoyant support frame,comprising: a plurality of buoyant support frame modules, each buoyantsupport frame module comprising a floatable frame connected to aninflatable pontoon, and means for interconnecting the plurality ofbuoyant support frame modules; and a dock platform disposed upon andaffixed to the modular buoyant support frame.
 2. A modular floatingdock, comprising: a modular buoyant support frame, comprising: aplurality of buoyant support frame modules, each buoyant support framemodule comprising a rectangular frame disposed about an inflatablepontoon, and means for interconnecting the plurality of buoyant supportframe modules; and a dock platform disposed upon and affixed to themodular buoyant support frame.
 3. A modular floating dock, comprising: amodular buoyant support frame, comprising: a plurality of buoyantsupport frame modules, each buoyant support frame module comprising afloatable frame connected to an inflatable pontoon and means forinterconnecting the plurality of buoyant support frame modules; a dockplatform; and means for connecting the dock platform to the top of thebuoyant support frame.
 4. A modular floating dock, comprising: a modularbuoyant support frame, comprising: a plurality of buoyant support framemodules, each buoyant support frame module comprising a floatable frameremovably connected to an inflatable pontoon, and means forinterconnecting the plurality of buoyant support frame modules; and adock platform disposed upon and affixed to the modular buoyant supportframe.